My job takes me around Ireland, as I travel I try to get pictures that show a flavour of the area I am in.
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Please leave comments, its much appreciated to get feedback. These pictures are lower quality copies of the originals, apologies for this.

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Saturday, March 27, 2010

I have passed this place quite a lot but never had the time or the Daylight to stop, I got the chance finally, there are quite a lot of pictures. This first one is the view from the road.

The Rock Of Dunamase or in Irish Dun Masc the fort of Masc dates back to the 9th Century, there is records of the Vikings attacking it in 845 when the abbot of Terryglass was killed there. This is a representation of what it would have looked like.

It was an Ideal location as a fort as there its is the highest point in the flat plains of the midlands. There was no castle built until the 12th century, but there is nothing to say who built the castle but it was later given to Strongbow the Norman who married the daughter of the King of Leinster. It was in the hands of the Marshalls for a few generations and then through marriage on to the Mortimers until 1330 when Roger Mortimer was executed for treason.

It was taken over by an Irish Clan the Moores was in ruin by 1350, must have been one hell of a party.

In the 17th Century a guy named Parnell built a banqueting hall in the ruins that was incorporated into the ruins

Large bit of overturned foundation, I wonder was this from the time that Cromwells troops used artillery on the ruins to make sure it could not be used by Catholics as a fort.

View from the battlements

The birds roosting for the night

More of the battlements remains where you get views of the horizon.

The main Building

A view of the plains to the east

The hills to the south with the remains of the gate

Random walls

Panoramic picture of the site from the gatehouse

Views of the horizon from the windows and doors

Some shots as the sun was setting, the first one has an airplane flying by